History, circa 1841, fair copy

continued for some time I inquired of the Lord through the Urim &
Thummin and obtained the following Revelation

A great and marvelous work is about to come forth unto
the children of men.

Behold I am God and give heed unto
my words which are quick and
powerful sharper than a two edged sword to the dividing assunder of both
joints and marrows therefore give heed unto my words. Behold the
field is white already to harvest
therefore whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with
his might and reap while the day lasts
that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom
of God. Yea whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap the same is
called of God therefore if you will ask of me you shall receive if you
will knock it shall be opened unto you now as you have asked behold I
say unto you keep my commandments and seek to bring forth and establish
the cause of Zion

Seek not for riches but for wisdom and
behold the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you and then shall
you be made rich. Behold he that hath eternal life is rich. Verily Verily
I say unto you even as you desire of me so shall it be unto you and
if you desire you shall be the means of doing much good in this
generation. Say nothing but repentance unto this generation Keep my
commandments and assist to bring forth my work according to my
commandments you shall be blest. Behold thou hast a gift and blessed
art thou because of thy gift remember it is sacred and cometh from above
and if thou wilt inquire thou shalt know mysteries which are great
and marvelous therefore thou shalt exercise thy gift.
[p. 27]

continued for some time I inquired of the Lord through the Urim &
Thummin and obtained the following Revelation

A great and marvelous work is about to come forth unto
the children of men.

Behold I am God and give heed unto
my words which [are] quick and
powerful sharper than a two edged sword to the dividing assunder of both
joints and marrows therefore give heed unto my words. Behold the
field is w[h]ite already to harvest
therefore whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with
his might and reap while the day lastlasts
that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom
of God. Yea whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap the same is
called of God therefore if you will ask of me you shall receive if you
will knock it shall be opened unto you now as you have asked behold I
say unto you keep my commandments and seek to bring forth and establish
the cause of Zion

Seek not for riches but for wisdom and
behold the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you and then shall
you be made rich. Behold he that hath eternal life is rich. Verily Verily
I say unto you even as you desire of me so shall it be unto you and
if you desire you shall be the means of doing much good in this
generation. Say nothing but repentance unto this generation Keep my
commandments and assist to bring forth my work according to my
commandments you shall be blest. Behold thou hast a gift and blessed
art thou because of thy gift remember it is sacred and cometh from above
and if thou wilt inquire thou shalt know mysteries which are great
and marvelous therefore thou shalt exercise thy gift.
[p. 27]

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, LDS church purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas. Served as church headquarters, 1839...

in 1840. There he was immediately engaged by
JS as a clerk at his office. Coray later
reminisced in his autobiography that after he completed his initial assignment,
JS requested that he “undertake, in connection with
E[dwin]
D. Woolley

received his charge,
JS’s and the church’s “history” had been an
ongoing project for a decade. Several early attempts had apparently fallen
short and been abandoned. However, JS and
Sidney
Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

,
had begun to bear fruit. Unfortunately, Mulholland had died
3 November 1839 after inscribing fifty-nine
pages of text in a large record book subsequently designated as volume “A-1”
of the manuscript history of the church.
Robert B. Thompson

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...

to draft additional historical material, using
sources JS provided. Woolley eventually withdrew from the project and was
replaced by a “Dr. Miller,” who remains unidentified.
Their work evidently resulted in two different kinds of drafts. According to
Coray’s later reminiscences, the first grew out of instructions “not only to
combine, and arrange in cronological order, but to spread out or amplify not a
little, in as good historical style as may be.”
No manuscript matching this description has survived, but their work may have
provided the basis for material subsequently copied into the history by other
scribes.

did, however, produce an edited
version of the narrative inscribed in the large history volume (A-1).
According to Coray’s later account,
JS was directly involved in this reworking of the
history, reading aloud and dictating revisions from the large volume. Two
drafts of this work have survived. However, the main history endeavor continued
in the large history volume, and there is no indication that either draft was
used in subsequent compiling or in publication of the history. Though a
short-lived effort, Coray’s manuscript represents the intention to revise the
history, suggesting that JS had not yet settled on a final historical product
even after he had directed scribes to begin inscribing the history in the
large, more permanent volume in 1839.

’s history draft
includes departures from the material recorded in A-1
which, though minor, show an intention to refine the story. Coray deleted
passages that seemed to be defensive, to plead the cause of the Saints, or to
play on the reader’s sympathies—a list of grievances, for example, or
complaints against individuals. The draft often softened wording about the
persecution of
JS and employed more moderate language in
describing opposition, avoiding the word “mob” and glossing over accounts of
violence.

’s work on
JS’s history was not located until 2005, when two
manuscripts in Coray’s hand were identified among documents in the possession
of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These two manuscripts consisted of a lightly edited draft
of the material
Mulholland

1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Member of Methodist church. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into LDS church by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by John Taylor, 22...

had written in the large history
volume, and a fair or clean copy of that material that incorporated the
revisions Coray made in his earlier draft. The first draft
was published in volume 1 of the Histories series of the The Joseph Smith
Papers.
(See History
Drafts, 1838—ca. 1841.)
The second or “fair copy” of the two drafts is the
document herein featured. An inscription in Coray’s handwriting at the bottom
of the first page of this document identifies it as the second copy. In
1869 Coray signed a statement that was later
attached to the paper wrapper that enclosed the two drafts: “These hundred
pages of History were written by me, under Joseph the Prophet’s dictation.
Dr Miller helped me a little in writing the same.”